Meandering Pathway – rewrite 07September 2026
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”1
Part One
what I mean is, it’s like a storytime-line of who, what and why things started. Once upon a time, I was not sure of the how and why, the sun did rise to shine. I’d think / is it possible God of imagination put stars and mankind in this place just for a bloody race?
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am!
to believe creation is a possibility is like asking a blind person to see trees2. It takes a little faith to leap the gap of who or what it is that started me. Now, it could be, a spot of goo which grew at such a massive rate as stars flung themselves into place and you and I happened to follow suit.
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am
on the face of it, to be scientific is cool or wicked (depending on your age), cause in my day they became the preachers of evolution. A spin off from a warm spot, which happened to breed succulent plants and legged creatures unfolding upright, to gain balance and height, then swagger past the missing link.
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am!
it’s not hearsay, but what is testifiable for authenticity’s sake. It can’t be ‘snake like’ (sliding in to set a trap) it needs to be genuine. An eye-witness account, relevant and wholly believable for all sundry purposes, be they minor or major, matters not for what counts are facts; verified by proof; a third witness passes the test.
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am!
words enough for some aspects but when it comes to belief, trust and living breath, asking breathe of God to be my reality check puts me on the deciding edge. But who can argue with living proof; a life once bent, now redeemed and understanding why repent is a testimony not hypnosis; words or theory, it’s my life and I know my testimony is action—a
testimony is more than words it is what I do!
Part Two
and years later, it’s spring in New Zealand, and I decide to visit Motukaraka Point, Pāuatahanui and walk the Te Ara Piko, the Meandering Pathway, south towards the village. An inlet where brackish water laps the boardwalk. Black swans on the tide, resting on this nice cool sunny day. Weathered story boards whisper of historic occupation.
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am!
I listen to radio national as I walk; static bleeding news of continued fighting between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran. Local politics claims the high spot as does the recent loss of All Blacks to Springboks— the low flyover reminder of 9/11 twenty-five years ago. Earthquakes in Milford Sounds create discussion on readiness for slips and flooding. New apartments with less carpark spaces— ready for younger city living.
testimony is more than what I say it is who I am!
low employment, higher interest rates, waiting for the right move. New elections introduce catchy voting policies; no new taxes, just more fees! Paris climate agreement is on; though some disagree. Radio notes Stoicism: ‘we cannot control our external world, but we can control how we respond to it’3— how quickly who I am changes to the noise.
I now meander back to Motukaraka Point, the island where karaka trees once stood, noticing the changing tide,
is more than what happens it is how I respond!
Authors Note: This piece is written as a single script panning five years of living. Part One written January 2021 and Part Two September 2026 — five years of on the meandering pathway! The bridge is my response to JFK’s gratitude statement and the connecting “bridge” to each stanza. Part One, is the internal landscape—the quiet arguments of faith and bone; creation and evolution. Part Two addresses the external landscape— global conflict, local politics colliding in our noisy world. Ultimately, the pathway reveals that a true testimony is found not in grand theories, but in the quiet “meanderings of the now;” of each new day of living and breathing—each day we resume faith.4
1. John F Kennedy; Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, 1963
2. Mark8:24, the partially healed blind man’s reply (“I see people; they look like trees”)
Matthew 17:20, emphasising that it only takes a “little” faith.
3. Ryan Holiday; RNZ, discussing his book on Stoicism; 3rd September 2026,2.10pm
4. Ross Miller; Sharp Darts of Longing Love-Resuming
Copyright © stephen c douglas • kiwi poet • September 2026